Vending machine



May 7, 1946. M. J. AUERBACH VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 9, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MAURICE J.AUERBACH.

. W hnw H wwwwwz Patented May 7, 1946 VENDING MACHINE Maurice J Auerbach; Cleveland Heights,.0hio, as-

signor to- Standard-Vendors; 1110., Cleveland,i Ohio, a corporationof Ohio Application October 9, 1943; SerialNo. 505,600"

8 Claims.

This invention relates, asindicated, to vending machines, but has reference more particularlyto vendingmachines which are especially adapted for the distribution of packaged merchandise, such as. cigarettes, candy, etc.

A primaryobject of the invention is to provide a machine in which the merchandisingcapacity is increased by a novel arrangement of the article ejecting mechanism;

Another object-ofthe invention istoprovide a machine in whichpackages of'different sizes may be merchandised.

A furtherobject of the invention is' to provide- Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. {showing the'package' ejecting mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 3 His a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 3'3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a. fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig.2;

Referring more particularly to the drawings-,.. it will be seenthat a cigarette vending machine, such as is particularly adapted to have the rejecting mechanism or means of the present. invention incorporated therein comprises aframe I disposed forwardly of the machine and a'frame 2 disposed rearwardly of the machine andaat a somewhathigher elevation thanthe framezI The frame I is adapted to support 'a horizontal row ofmagazines'for 're'ceptacles 3 arranged to" provide. spacesz i' therebetween; each receptacle adapted to contain a stackrof: thearticl'es'to be" dispensed; shown 'in' this instance as packages '5 of king-size cigarettes.

or' receptacles *6 arranged substantially in abutment with eachother; and each adapted to con tain a stack of the articles to be diSpensedQshownr Similarly; the framel' is adapted'to support 'ahori'zonta-l row'ofmagazines' in this.instance'as packages"I of ordinary or regular size cigarettes:

Each .of the receptacles Sis provided at the'rear thereon and adjacent its lower end with a door enclosure 8, which is normally disposed vertically, but which is pivotally mounted as at 9 to permit swinging of the same rearwardly when one of the packages 5 is ejected through the opening ID at the lower rear portion of the-receptacle. Similarly,each of the receptacles 6 is provided at the rear thereof and adjacent its lower end with a door or closure II, which is normally disposed vertically, but which is pivotally mounted as at I2 to permit swinging of the same rearwardly when one ofthe-packages 'Iis ejected through the opening l3-at the lower rear portion of the recep acle.

The frames I and 2 are stationarily mounted on the vending machine, the frame I being shaped to provide a cavity'or recess I4, in which is mounted a multiplicity of pull handles I5 and IS, the handles It being arranged alternately with the handles I5, and beingdesigned for use in ejecting packages fromthere'ceptacl'es 6, whereas the-handles I5 are designed for use in ejecting packages from the'receptacles 3.

Each of the handles 15 and I5 is mounted for reciprocal'movement relative to the recess I4 and eachis'providedwith a longitudinally extending slot ll," through which a stop rod' or bar l'la extends; this bar beingv designed to prevent the handles l5 and I 6 from being pulled beyond their outermost position.

Pivotally'connected to each of the pull handles I5 adjacent its rear end is a lever it having an ejectorhead I9, the lower end of the lever being pivoted as at 20 to a bearing 2|, which, in turn, is rigidly secured to the apron or skirt 22 which forms a paitof the frame I. The pivot pin 23, which connects the lever I8 to the handle I5 is movable in a vertical slot 24 in the handle, which slot is provided to accommodate the change in the point of. pivotal connectionbetween the handle and lever occasioned when the handle i5 is pulled forwardly.

When it is desired to eject a package from one of the receptacles.- 3. the .necessarycoins are deposited inthe machine, permitting the handle I5 for that receptacle to be moved to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and causing the lever IBto be movedto the position likewise indicated by the dotted lines, the lever moving through slots 25"and 261m the frame and-through a slot 21in the lower end of the receptacle. Incidental to this movement-tile ejectorhead-I9 lifts all of the packages in the receptacle, but after such head has moved to the dotted line position in Fig. 3, the packages are dropped to a lower position in the receptacle. Upon pushing the handle l5 inwardly, the various parts are restored to their initial position, as shown by the solid lines, and the ejector head l9, incidental to its return to such initial position, forcibly ejects the lowermost package 5 through the opening ID, as indicated in Fig. 3, the package swinging the door 8 outwardly.

Rigidly secured to each of the pull handles I6 adjacent the rear end thereof is a bracket 28 which extends through slots 29 and 33 in the frame I and has a vertical extension 3|, which extends into one of the spaces 4 between the receptacles 3. The extension 3| is pivoted, as at 32 to one end of a link or connecting bar 33, the opposite end of which has secured thereto and extending transversely thereof a pivot pin or stub shaft 34, to which a lever 35 is pivotally secured, as at 36. The lever 35 is pivotally connected to the frame 2, as at 36, but this pivotal connection is movable in a slot 31. The lever, moreover, is provided at its upper end with an ejector head 31' similar to the head 19, the head 31' extending through a slot 38 in the frame 2 and through a slot 39 in the lower end of the receptacle 6. The pivotal connection of the lever35 to the pin 34 is made at such a point that the ejector head is movable along the median plane 3-3 (Fig. 2) of the packages in the receptacle 6.

When it is desired to eject a package from one of the receptacles 6, the necessary coins are deposited in the machine, permitting the handle l6 for that receptacle to be moved to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and causing the lever 35 to be moved to the position indicated by the dotted lines, the lever moving through the slots 38 and 39. Incidental to this movement, the ejector head 31' lifts all of the packages in the receptacle, but after such head has moved to the dotted line position in Fig. 4, the packages are dropped to their lower position in the receptacle. Upon pushing the handle l6 inwardly, the various parts are restored to their initial position, and the ejector head 31', incidental to its return to such initial position, forcibly ejects the lowermost package 7 through the opening l3, as indicated in Fig. 4, the package swinging the door H outwardly.

It will be noted that the operative elements 3| and 33 are disposed in the spaces 4 between the receptacles 3, thereby utilizing space which is usually present in machines of this type and which is usually wasted.

In any event, by providing these spaces between the receptacles 3, which spaces are relatively narrow and would not, therefore, in the aggregate, greatly increase the width of the ma-- chine, I am enabled to provide the rear row 01 receptacles and thereby at least double the merchandising capacity of the machine, it being noted that the packages are ejected from the rear row of receptacles entirely independently of the ejection of packages from the front row.

Moreover, since the links 33 are disposed below the upper portion of the frame 2 and need not extend into the spaces between the receptacles 6, such receptacles may, as shown in Fig. 2, be placed closer to each other than the receptacles 3, thereby permitting a greater number of receptacles to be placed in the rear row than in the front row, and to that extent, more than doubling the merchandising capacity of the machine. In the present instance the ratio of the number of receptacles in the rear row to the number in the front row is approximatel 4 /2 to 4, but this ratio may be varied within predetermined limits.

Although the machine has been described par ticularly with reference to the merchandising of cigarette packages, it is to be understood that the novel ejecting means and receptacle arrangement of the invention may be incorporated in any machine designed to vend either packaged or bulk gOOdS.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be restored to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, a row of spaced receptacles, a second row of receptacles disposed rearwardly of the first row and means for ejecting articles from said second row of receptacles, said means including elements disposed in the spaces between the receptacles in said first-named row.

2. In a machine of the character described, a row of spaced receptacles, a second row of receptacles disposed rearwardly of the first row, and means for ejecting articles from said second row of receptacles, said means including a bracket and connecting link, at least portions ofwhich are disposed in the spaces between the receptacles in said first-named row.

3. In a machine of the character described, a row of receptacles, a second row of receptacles disposed rearwardly of the first row, means for ejecting articles from the receptacles in the first row, said means including a series of pull handles disposed below said first-named row of receptacles, and means for ejecting articles from the receptacles in the second row, said means including a series of pull handles disposed in the spaces between said first series of handles.

4. In a machine of the character described, a row of receptacles, a second row of receptacles disposed rearwardly of the first row, means for ejecting articles from the receptacles in the first row, said means including a series of spaced pull handles disposed below said first-named row of receptacles, and means for ejecting articles from the receptacles in the second row, said means including a series of pull handles disposed at a level below said first-named row of receptacles and arranged alternately with said first-named handles.

5. In a machine of the character described, a row of receptacles, a second row of receptacles disposed rearwardly of the first-named row of receptacles, and means for ejecting articles from said second-named row of receptacles, said means including pull handles disposed at a level below said first-named row of receptacles, brackets secured to said pull handles, connecting links secured to said brackets, and ejecting levers secured to said connecting links.

6. In a machine of the character described, a row of spaced receptacles, a second row of receptacles disposed rearwardly of the first-named row of receptacles, and means for ejecting articles from said second row of receptacles, said means including pull handles disposed below said first-named row of receptacles, brackets having extensions which extend into the spaces between said first-named row of receptacles, connecting which are parallel with the receptacles in said first row and extend through the space between the receptacles in said first row.

8. In a machine of the character described, a row of receptacles, a second row of receptacles disposed rearwardly of the first row, means including handles disposed along the front of said machine for ejecting articles from said first row of receptacles, and means including handles disposed along the front of said machine, arranged alternately with said first-named handles and operable independently of said firstnamed ejecting means for ejecting articles from the receptacles in said second row.

MAURICE J. AUERBACH. 

